Introduction
With Pro Evolution Soccer 6 nearly amongst us, here's a brief preview of what you can expect.
Gameplay
Firstly the differences in gameplay that Winning Eleven 10 has compared to PES 5. In a nutshell, fewer niggly fouls called by the referee, a quick free kick option after some fouls, easier dribbling, harder defending and an overall faster game. In other words a more flowing, attacking bias than the defensively minded PES 5. Winning Eleven 10 introduced these to us and PES 6 takes them on and changes things slightly.
Firstly the pace has been taken down a notch, not just the pace of the players but also the ball. There are fewer power shots though you can still give it a hefty whack should your player be running on to it or positioned well.
The dribbling, while still more accessible as per WE10 isn't as effective mainly as the reaction times of the players has been increased. A little too much at times for my liking but it does help bring back a bit of balance. It also becomes more important to try dribbling with players who are actually good at it.
While fewer fouls is a welcome relief to the stop-start nature of PES 5 it's not exactly a great fix. The referees just seem to ignore some of the fouls. This means that while the flow of the game is normally there you will no doubt witness some blatant fouls that will not result in a free kick.
Your first few games may be untidy as you get used to the turning circles of players and using the shoulder buttons to control first touches better but the gameplay is still a worthy upgrade to PES 5.
If you're coming from WE10 note that the keepers are definitely better and less prone to parrying everything.
Xbox 360 special
Now, normally I'd end an early impressions round-up there but here's a special section for the first “next generation” version of Pro Evo – the Xbox 360 version.
Well, it's finally happened, Pro Evo has brought itself up inline with VHS in home entertainment terms in that it now supports widescreen! It's a requirement on Xbox 360 to support such modes and PES is all the better for it.
The graphics are also very nice making the PS2 version look cartoon-like especially with things like pitch textures. Even in standard definition everything looks smoother and more detailed. HD adds another layer of sharpness and unsurprisingly detail to the mix leaving you with an undoubtedly nice looking game of football. Certain players' appearances have also been changed for the better compared to the PS2.
You also get the benefit if that's the right word of seeing not only the referee on the pitch during gameplay but also his assistants as they mock your offside runs with eagle-eyed precision.
It should be noted at this point that there are very slight framerate issues during gameplay if things get very crowded onscreen. This was apparent in the wide camera mode but is also noticeable when lining up corners and free kicks. It wasn't enough to put me off the gameplay but is annoying nonetheless for “Next-gen.”
The game also plays the same as the PS2 version, which is a good thing. It all feels slightly different due to the difference in controllers but at least the shoulder buttons are roughly in the right place compared to the original Xbox.
Now onto the bad part. It's safe to say that the Xbox 360 version is definitely lacking compared to the features available in the PS2 version. Please note that these are what I've observed with a retail copy of the game and don't take into account the fact that the game may be autoupdated through the Xbox Live system.
Right, here's a list of what's out compared to PS2:
Edit mode – You can only edit players themselves and even that's limited. Forget about changing club names/formations/tactics/badges/boots/shirt names/player appearances/stadium names/transfers/national squads and anything else that doesn't fall under the “Edit Player” heading.
Online play – While I haven't been able to test this due to there being no one else on Live, it would appear to be back to one on one exhibition matches that can be ranked or unranked. Ignore the extra online game mode advances made by the PS2 version too.
The international challenge mode and random selection match mentioned above do not make it.
There are no unlocks, instead you get the Xbox 360 achievements where your gamerscore will be increased for winning cups/leagues and playing ranked online matches.
You cannot save replays. I've checked and double checked this and made sure my gamer profile is signed in. Even though the manual mentions pressing X to save, there is no button prompt onscreen and no button saves a replay when you're watching it. This is further confirmed by the lack of anywhere in the front-end resembling a gallery where you may view such saved clips. It's a shame as replays run for longer than “current-gen” versions and look spangly.
There are only eight stadiums compared to the PS2's thirty four.
Then you get on to the minor things that make a difference and have been removed for no apparent reason. I'm talking about being able to use left/right when you're choosing your lineup before a match to quickly switch from your first team to your subs and back, scrolling all the way up and down is the only way. I'm talking about being able to switch on kit select for tournaments.
I'll stop there but suffice to say if all you want from PES is the nicest most realistic graphics and more accessible online play via Xbox Live then you're in the right place. You may also be a gamerscorewhore in which case there are the usual thousand points up for grabs here.
The End
To end on a positive note there are plenty of things to get stuck into in this new version of PES. While FIFA's gameplay is necessarily coming on nicely it doesn't match the feel of football as PES does. Of course PES has issues and the features cut out of the Xbox 360 version may be enough to put you off but there is plenty of footballing enjoyment to be had with any version.
Credit - Some guy off of Evo-web who says he has the game.
